


Requite

by talesofsymphoniac



Category: Tales of Graces, Tales of Series
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Sophie, Richass Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 10:10:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7528681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesofsymphoniac/pseuds/talesofsymphoniac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard is injured on a visit to Lhant. The need to protect others has never been Asbel's alone, and there is more than one kind of sacrifice.</p><p>Written for Day Two of Richass Week 2016: Release from Sorrow</p>
            </blockquote>





	Requite

Sophie frowned, watching Asbel pace back and forth in his office, his face all scrunched up like it was when he was upset. She curled her knees into her chest, thinking to herself. She wished there was a way to make Asbel feel better, but there was nothing she could do except wait for Richard to get better.

The door to the study opened, and Asbel and Sophie were distracted from their thoughts by Cheria’s entrance.

“Is he okay?” Asbel asked, stopping his pacing. Cheria nodded.

“It was a pretty deep cut, but it shouldn’t get infected or anything. He’s going to be fine.” 

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. She always got nervous when her friends were hurt, and she worried about Richard especially. He tried to hide it, but Sophie knew that a lot of his life had been spent sad and alone. Even now that they were all friends, it didn’t escape Sophie how guilty Richard felt, or how much he overworked himself. 

Cheria was still talking. “You can go and see him, if you want,” she said, turning away from Asbel as she did so. Sophie pondered her expression for a moment; it was not quite sad, she decided. 

“Thanks, Cheria,” Asbel said, and the face that had captivated Sophie changed into a small smile. Cheria nodded, and left the way she came.

Asbel turned to Sophie. “Well?”

She stood up and nodded emphatically. “Let’s go see Richard.”

They found their friend laying in the same guest bedroom he had stayed in as a child, a room that was now Sophie’s. The sweet smell of sopherias and other flowers wafted from the countless flowerpots Sophie had moved there. She didn’t like to pick her flowers and put them in vases, where they would only die more quickly, so Grandma Kerri had taught her how to transplant the flowers into pots, and now there was scarcely any home in Lhant that was not adorned with one or two of Sophie’s flower pots.

Asbel took a seat that had been shifted near the bed, and Sophie ceased her examination of her plants to stand next to him and turn her attention to Richard. Only hours ago, he, Asbel, and Sophie had their day trip interrupted by a group of especially fierce Nova monsters. Though they fought most of them off without problems, Asbel let his guard down for one moment and failed to notice the huge, boar-like creature charging him from behind. Sophie cried out, but was too far away to help.

Richard, though, had just enough time to get between the monster and Asbel, but only enough time for that. In his haste, he was unable to block the monster’s attack, and Asbel turned just in time to cry out in horror as Richard took a heavy slash across his chest, crumpling to the ground like a ragdoll. Sophie rushed to his aid at once, while Asbel drew his sword, face contorted in righteous anger, and dashed forward, striking the beast without mercy. 

Richard had lost a lot of blood. Sophie remembered what his face looked like, so white, in an agony that her healing artes had not been able to soothe. Terror swept over her as she realized that she might be unable to save him. She and Asbel ran back to Lhant, Richard in Asbel’s arms, praying that Cheria would know what to do. 

She took one look at Richard and immediately began issuing commands. Her orders were obeyed by citizens in the vicinity immediately and without question, and it was mere minutes before Cheria had been brought her medical supplies and Richard had been settled on a bed in the Lhant estate. Sophie, not for the first time, was grateful for Cheria’s incredible healing abilities as she looked down at her handiwork. Richard already looked a lot better; his face had regained some of its color, and he had relaxed, the worst of the pain behind him.

“How are you feeling, Richard?” Asbel asked, and Richard smiled gently. 

“Much better now, thanks to you, Sophie, and Cheria.” He closed his eyes. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“I’m glad,” Asbel said, nodding to himself. “In that case…” he looked at Richard, expression hard. His words were gentle, but there was a ferocity behind them. “How could you have done something so reckless?”

Richard looked surprised at Asbel’s tone, blinking a moment before answering cautiously. “I wanted to protect you, Asbel.”

Sophie watched quietly as Asbel clenched his fists. “I know. But it was an unnecessary risk. You have to be more careful than that!”

“You would have died,” Richard said, managing to stay calm, though impatience was creeping into his tone. “You would have had no time to defend yourself. I did the only thing I could do.”

Asbel shook his head, growing more agitated. “That doesn’t matter! Protecting you is my job, Richard. I swore I would give my life to protect you, so how could you--”

“I don’t want you to trade your life for mine!” Richard rarely raised his voice, and his doing so now made both Asbel and Sophie jump. “You can’t ask that of me, Asbel! I’m not worth that!”

“Then you don’t know the value of your own life!” Asbel retorted. “Windor needs you, Richard! No, the world needs you! So you can’t throw that away for--”

“Asbel, you’re doing it again.” Sophie’s voice interrupted their burgeoning argument, soft but firm, causing Richard and Asbel to look at her instead. She met their eyes, one after the other, and took a deep breath.

Asbel broke the silence that had settled over them. “What?”

Sophie spoke slowly, wanting to make sure she articulated her thoughts correctly. “You’re getting mad at Richard… because you’re sad. Richard getting hurt makes you sad. Right?” She tilted her head, though all three knew the question was rhetorical.

Asbel hung his head, taking in Sophie’s words. He turned his head up, eyes raking over the bandages wrapped around Richard’s chest. He flinched, and for a moment Sophie feared he was in pain as well, as if it was Asbel’s flesh that had been torn by the monster along with Richard’s. Finally, he nodded. “You’re… you’re right, Sophie.” He shifted nervously in his chair. “I’m sorry for raising my voice, Richard. I was out of line.” He lowered his voice again. “You saved my life, after all.”

Richard shook his head. “Asbel. It’s okay.” He sighed. “The truth is… you weren’t wrong. My death would be a catastrophic blow to Windor. The political turmoil alone would be…” he trailed off, gaze unfocused.

Asbel nodded, bringing Richard back to the present by resting a hand on his shoulder. “That’s right,” he said. “Windor can’t lose you.” Sophie thought Asbel’s insistence on this point was odd. What he meant, she thought, was “I can’t lose you,” a sentiment she fully agreed with. She was reminded of Cheria, telling her that Asbel was bad with feelings; now she could see it.

Perhaps Richard could see it too. His gaze softened, smiling wearily. “Yes, you’re right. But... I’m afraid when it came down to it, in the heat of the moment, my only thought was that… I can’t lose you.”

Asbel pulled his hand back slightly, surprised at the admission. “Richard…” he said quietly, reaching for his hand. Richard took it, and continued speaking, eyes fixed on their joined hands.

“Do you understand, Asbel? An entire kingdom, and you are… the most precious thing that I have. That’s why, Asbel…” He turned his eyes towards Asbel again. “I want to protect you, too. Not as your king, but as your friend.”

Asbel didn’t say anything at first. Sophie waited, watched as Asbel nodded, deeply moved, never letting go of Richard’s hand. “If it’s truly that important to you, Richard,” he paused, quirking his lips into a smile. “We’ll just have to protect each other.”

Richard hummed, his amber eyes warm and soft, resting easily on Asbel’s. “Nothing would make me happier.”

Sophie said nothing, trying to parse the change of atmosphere. Richard and Asbel kept their eyes on each other, and while no more words were spoken, Sophie had the distinct impression they were having a conversation without her, in some nonverbal language she couldn’t grasp.

“Feel better, Richard,” Asbel finally said, standing. No longer looking at Richard, he swiftly leaned over and pressed his lips to the other’s forehead, before getting up and immediately leaving the room with a slightly rosy tint to his cheeks.

Sophie, yet more puzzled over this newest display, turned her attention to Richard, whose eyes were wide open, staring after the door that Asbel had left from. His cheeks were also tinted red. “Asbel…” he trailed off, momentarily forgetting Sophie’s presence. When he recovered, he shifted quickly, his flush becoming more pronounced. 

Sophie sat down on the end of Richard’s bed, reflecting. Finally, she spoke up. “Is Asbel really more precious than Windor?”

Richard sighed. “As king, I’m obligated to say that no one life can have a greater value than the kingdom as a whole, including my own. As Richard?” He paused, turning his eyes away from Sophie. “I sometimes wonder.” It was spoken barely above a whisper, a guilt-ridden confession.

Sophie considered the evidence before her. Asbel was clearly very important to Richard and that brought to mind some conversations she’d had with the Captain. 

She had just wanted to ask him about love. It was a complicated topic for her, since there seemed to be so many different kinds, with different nuances. Cheria and Asbel had finished explaining to her that Cheria was not moving in with them after all, and that they loved each other but not like that. “What does it mean to love someone ‘like that?’” That was the question she’d asked. Captain Malik had done his best to explain the different types of love, and when he had finished, Sophie began asking the others for their opinions.

“Are you in love with anyone?” she’d asked Hubert, who’d turned bright red and very flustered before admitting that yes, he was, and she wasn’t to tell anyone, especially not Pascal.

When she’d asked Pascal, Cheria perked up, looking quite interested in the discussion. Pascal considered, shrugged, and answered, “Maybe?” Cheria had interrogated her, but all Pascal would say is that she didn’t know. “I’m not gonna stress myself out trying to decide if I’m really ‘in love’, y’know? No need to rush figuring it out.”

And when she’d asked Richard if he was in love, he’d simply said, “Yes.” He wouldn’t tell her who he was in love with, though he readily answered her questions about what it felt like. Sometimes, he had looked happy, as he talked about feelings like admiration and joy, but as the conversation wore on, he began to tell her what it felt like when love wasn’t reciprocated, about longing and shame. The look on his face then had been very similar to the one she saw before her now.

She hesitated, then decided to ask her question. “Does that mean that Asbel is the person that you love?”

Richard looked startled, and Sophie suddenly knew that she was right. He paused, and Sophie wondered if he was going to deny it. She wouldn’t have been mad. The Captain said that sometimes people wanted to keep their feelings to themselves, like Hubert and Cheria.

But Richard finally made his decision, nodding slowly. “It does. But… Please don’t tell him, Sophie. I wouldn’t want him to feel bad if he doesn’t share those feelings.”

Sophie bobbed her head yes. “I understand.” Another sacrifice he was making for Asbel's sake, more painful and lasting in some ways than the gashes across his chest. She paused, thinking. “But how do you know he doesn’t? Did you ask him?” When Richard shook his head, she continued. “So what if he did share them?”

Richard considered it. “If he did…” He bit his lip, and Sophie wondered if he was remembering the wordless conversation he'd had with Asbel only minutes ago. “If he did… then I would tell him.”

Sophie smiled and nodded again. “I won’t tell Asbel what you said. I promise.”

Richard looked relieved. “Thank you.”

Smiling, Sophie surprised Richard by copying Asbel, leaning over him and pecking his forehead. “Sleep tight, Richard,” she said, making her way to the door. She heard Richard wish her a goodnight as well, and she shut the door behind her.


End file.
